Michael Garrett

Michael Garrett

With so many questions surrounding the oil industry these days, Michael Garrett believed Cross Oil Refining & Marketing Inc. needed to diversify its business plan.

His idea of packaging finished products of the Smackover refinery and shipping them to end users all over the country has paid off in full.

"We thought packaging could be a nice little niche for us and, believe me, it took a long time to get everyone on board and for it to start paying off," Garrett said. "It took a long time scratching and fighting to get that piece of the business in place, and the last few years it just took off."

The packaging business now accounts for more than 20 percent of the company's total revenue. Among the company's largest clients are Napa Auto Parts and Valvoline, which have automotive lubes and transmission fluids rolling off the Smackover line daily.

Garrett joined Cross Oil in 1998 after beginning his career as an accountant with Arthur Andersen LLP in Dallas.

"I needed to get out of there and get my family closer to home and to be able to spend more time with them," said Garrett, who grew up in El Dorado.

The 33-year-old is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization.